


Treasure Hunting

by chinarai



Category: One Piece
Genre: F/M, zona, zonami, zoronami
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-13
Updated: 2014-10-13
Packaged: 2018-02-20 23:57:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2447807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chinarai/pseuds/chinarai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She could not help but frown disappointedly at the map – it had led her to nothing – while, behind her, the swordsman finally opened his mouth to complain aloud about her plan for the day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Treasure Hunting

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know what you heard, but the rumors are true, I am One Piece trash now. I delayed it for as long as I could and honestly I didn't think I'd fall for it after five episodes, much less wake up one day feeling like I was born to ship Zoro/Nami, but hey these things happen.
> 
> A brief introduction: hey y'all, I'm Chi, I love Zelda, I've only watched OP till the point they get to Arlong Park or whatever his name is, I'm reading zonami fanfiction and I don't understand half of what's going on but for now I'm there for the smooches so yah.  
> I tried to keep them as in character as possible, given the circumstances, and personally I think this isn't all that bad. The plot is the most unoriginal plot to ever exist, but I was itching to write something so here it is. I might write more of them in the future, too, I fell hard for them haha.
> 
> Please enjoy and don't forget to tell me what you think! Best regards!

* * *

**Treasure Hunting**

* * *

After days of endless sailing, the Straw Hats had finally came across an island they could set their foot on and replenish their supplies. Nami had been ecstatic to visit, especially so after Robin had presented her with a treasure map she found somewhere along the town littered with small shops. The aged, ragged paper depicted various mark points built about the island, easily seen from the forecastle deck of the Thousand Sunny, and the orange haired woman was more than eager to go after what lied under the X.

However, of course something had to happen.

Nami would have preferred to go after it by herself, or maybe invite Robin to tag along since she could find something that caught her interest, but their captain had decided he would be the one to pair up his nakama that day. With a broad grin on his face, Luffy had separated the group in duos, which was possible since Brook had asked to stay aboard guarding their ship. And of all crewmates she had been paired with Zoro – just her luck – much to a certain cook’s chagrin, who let out an indignant screech and yelled curses at the swordsman, his lit cigarette almost falling off his lips. With a roll of her eyes and some insistence, she got him to go with her treasure hunting, armed only her small mailbag and his trusty swords. He had figured it was better to give in to her wishes than to hear her nagging all day long, which she would surely have done had he declined her offer.

It was a simple task, though it took a couple of hours to accomplish it; they had to go through the forest, up an incline, climb some rocks and there they were, facing the place where the chest was hidden. Flexing her fingers in excitement, the woman approached the chest half buried under the dry soil and, after hastily moving the earth out of the way, opened it to check its contents. It was mostly empty, save for a small leather pouch filled with golden coins and few assorted precious gems. She could not help but frown disappointedly at the map – it had led her to nothing – while, behind her, the swordsman finally opened his mouth to complain aloud about her plan for the day. Nami picked a pebble and threw it his way, which he dodged easily whilst encouraging her to return to the ship, and she sullenly agreed, moving past him towards the rock wall and preparing for her descent.

Nothing could have prepared her for the event that was to follow. As unfortunate as it was going after a chest that did not have as many things as she desired, it was even worse to step on a loose rock that crumbled beneath her feet and left her hanging, boots scrapping the stone searching for something solid to step on. She was halfway through, too; too far from the edge – and consequently too far from Zoro’s outstretched hand – and still far from the ground, but she figured it was best to jump than it was to wait until her companion for the day got close enough to help her, if the rocks she was standing on would allow such a thing. So, with a sharp intake of breath, she let go and landed awkwardly, knees bending and body tumbling sideways as she felt pain shooting up her right leg. Her palms scratched on pebbles, her soft skin tearing at the contact, there was a tear or two on herjeans, but the most damage was done to her ankle – so terribly sprained and throbbing in pain it was that she could not flex it one inch.

Zoro was beside her a few heartbeats later, crouching before her and taking in the results of her fall. As she brushed her hair away from her face, he tried to be as gentle as possible when unzipping and removing her boot to inspect how badly injured her ankle was; already swelling thanks to the impact, the swordsman concluded that there was no way she could walk now. Still he helped her up and passed her the shoe after she was leaning back on the damned wall that had caused all of this. Looking rather pensively at her foot, he barely let her finish as she said, “If you help support me, we can make it back soon,” before moving in closer and making a move.

Crouching before her so his shoulder was at hip height, he circled an arm around her legs and moved back whilst lifting her up; successfully, he has her slung over his shoulder, something she did not approve in the slightest. “Hey! Put me down!”

“It’s either this or we’re only getting back by tomorrow morning.” He countered with an annoyed huff when her fists punched at his back relentlessly, and she hated to admit it, but he was right. It had taken them most of the day to get up there, if she were to limp all the way back down it would take even more time. Nami settled for crossing her arms as best as the position would allow her to, cheeks flaming red in embarrassment and anger, until she remembered something. Wiggling in his grasp as she tried to reach her front pocket, he reprehended her hotly. “Will you quit it and be still for a while?”

She made a face he did not see. “I’m trying to get the map!”

“Who needs a goddamn map?” He inquired, his arms tightening around her moving legs. “We can get there just fine without it.”

“You’re gonna get us lost!”

He growled, “Shut it!” With a low groan of her own, Nami stilled her limbs and let him carry her, not that they would find another solution to get to the ship before nightfall.

At least, she thought to herself, she was not going back empty handed, though she wished she had more to carry. With the small pouch attached to the front of her pants, it was squeezed between his shoulder and her hips, causing her much discomfort. Again, she tried to move in a way until it would bother her no longer, but the green haired man scolded her once more, and soon they were engaged in another heated discussion. Damnit, she glared at the soil as he called the argument to an end, he got on her nerves so badly, she wanted to punch him so much, but there was little she could do in this position. Huffing, she settled for drumming her fingertips over his spine in a steady rhythm of a song she liked, singing the lyrics in her mind just to pass time. Talking to him was out of question, seeing as they could not speak without getting worked up.

She had sung the song at least five times by the time she decided to look up at the sky. It was getting late, the sun was not dipping behind the line of the horizon yet, but soon the first streaks of pink and orange would taint the blue sky. Her companion had yet to speak again, and she was not going to be the first to say anything, at least not for now, but she confessed that his company was rather enjoyable when he was not getting on her nerves and asking to be punched. It was the bickering that made their friendship so good, though, it was fun to poke at him. Nami started wondering if he really annoyed her nowadays or if she had grown accustomed and comfortable with it that her first reflex was to lash out at him even though it barely bothered her anymore. Realizing where her thoughts were taking her, the orange haired lady shifted in his hold again, cradling one elbow with a palm and her chin with the other, and stared pensively at the scenery in front of her (and consequently behind his back).

Now that she had thought of it, it did seem like the constant bickering was more of a playful act and an ill intended one. Letting her mind wander freely, she could not help but ponder if it was the same for him. Did he enjoy that as much as she did? Or did he not? Of two answers, she could get only one. One would leave her happy that he was content with it as much as she was; the other would probably leave her somewhat hurt. Nami shifted yet once more, trying to glimpse over her shoulder (or over his, she did not know) at his face, but the movement caused her to dig the treasure pouch deeper into her lower belly and she winced; interestingly, Zoro loosened his grip just slightly.

What a situation they were in. The navigator remained silent and still as he carried her for a while more, just admiring the landscape. She supposed it could not get worse - but it could, it always could. After a few minutes, she squinted her eyes at an oddly shaped rock and mused to herself that it was so strange, for she could swear she had seen that rock before... At least four times. Realization dawning up on her, she let out an incredulous cry and slumped completely against the swordsman, bringing him to a stop. “What?”

“We’re walking around in circles!” Nami shot her head and torso up quickly, placing the heels of her hand on his muscular back to support her upper body. “Scratch that – _you_ are walking in circles!” She did not need to look to know he had a scowl on his face. “I told you to let me get the map!”

“What good would it do?” He bit back, muscles tensing under her touch. It was so weird to scream at her without looking at her face. “Can you even read the directions right from your position?”

“It was better to try than to get lost in this forest!” Pinching her nose bridge, she inhaled deeply and fisted her other hand around his shirt to cool her mind. “Okay,” Nami breathed out after a while, releasing the cotton fabric from her grip and lightly patting the middle of his back, “Put me down. Let’s see what we can do.”

Wordlessly, Zoro moved closer to a nearby tree of the clearing, crouched down until her uninjured foot touched the ground and helped her stand straight, leaning into the rough brown bark. Fishing for the map in her front pocket and unfolding it, the navigator studied it for a moment, feeling his gaze boring into the top of her head. She bit the inside of her cheek and brought the paper closer to her face, the sun was setting and the scarce light left could barely penetrate the area through the dense mass of trees, it was hard to see anything that was drawn and written there. With furrowed brows, she put the map away and shook her head in defeat. “Can’t read it.” He sighed. “We’re lost.”

“I didn’t get us lost.” He protested with a glare, but it was far less intimidating than usual. Nami was well aware of his protective nature. He was probably disappointed with himself that he could not take them to the ship to get her ankle treated right away; that did not mean he would not glare at her, though.

She only smiled slightly and chose to brush it aside. “Don’t worry, I’m not mad at you.” As if her being mad at him or not even mattered to him; she clicked her tongue. “Let’s camp here. If we keep moving it can only get worse.”

He nodded in agreement, watching as his crewmate slowly worked her way down to the grassy ground and sat there. There was not much she could do, so he settled for finding twigs and fallen branches surrounding the clearing to make a bonfire, the only source of light and heat they would have for the night. The swordsman did not wander too far, afraid something could happen to her while he was away, so he was quick whilst doing his task and returned to her side not too long after leaving. Nami watched silently as he placed the twigs together under the dying sunlight, brows furrowed in concentration. She knew exactly what he was thinking: how would they light a fire?

“I’ve got it.” He turned to see her rummaging through her mailbag, eyes so squinted to see in the darkening hour that they did not even seem to be open. He heard the distinctive sound of tinfoil coming from inside the confines of her bag, then she retreated her hand before tossing him a small object which he caught out of reflex.

It was tiny and metallic, and cool to the touch of his palm. His fingers ran around the edges, and soon he found out what it was: a lighter. “Who gave you this?” Zoro inquired, though he knew the answer already.

“Sanji,” she replied as he threw some dry leaves onto the pile of twigs for good measure before trying to set it on fire. “He insisted that I left the ship with it.”

The small flame slowly reached about it and got to most of the twigs, growing in size and illuminating the area in seconds. “He gave it to you and went the entire day without a smoke?” The swordsman snorted and moved away from the bonfire. “What a gentleman.” Nami’s shoulders were shaking in silent laughter when he glanced her way, he could not help but smirk as he approached her side of the clearing. Setting the swords down on the space between them, he lied on his back on the grass, hands folded behind his head and one calf propped up on a bent knee. It was best to stay close to her, seeing as she could not move to his side if anything happened during the night.

His eyes were already closed by the time she decided to unfold the map to analyze it once more under the orange glow of the flames. Running her fingertip over the lines, she traced the route they took from the docks to the top of the incline, then traced back trying to guess where they were. There was no telling if they were still following that path in the first place, given that her companion had no sense of direction whatsoever, but hopefully they might be just slightly out of track. She should have pressed him to let her take the map and use it to guide them, no matter if she was facing back or forward; the chances of them getting closer to the shore would be higher, then. There was no point in lamenting over that now, though; it was done, and though he did not show it she guessed he felt bad for not getting them to their destination. She could ignore the pain – it was mostly a dull throbbing although some ice would be welcomed – but the fact that she could not walk and do things on her own bothered her the most.

As she folded the worn out paper to tuck it away, a low grumble came from her right accompanied by the shifting of cloth. Upon looking, she noticed Zoro removing one hand from behind his head and placing it over his stomach as his eyebrows pinched together in the middle. Deciding to put the map inside her bag this time, her fingers brushed past the tinfoil paper before wrapping around it loosely. “Zoro,” she called, and he turned his head to the side, opening his unscarred eye to meet her gaze. “Are you hungry?”

His eye remained trained of her face as he answered, “It’s nothing to worry about.”

“I’m serious.” She pulled the package from inside her bag and stretched her arm over to him, waiting for him to reach out and take it from her hands. “Just another thing Sanji insisted that I took with me. You can have it.”

He examined the silver wrapping in silence for a moment before trying to return it to her. “I’m not taking your food.”

She leaned away from him, “I’m giving it to you.” He did not lower nor retract his hand for full thirty seconds, simply letting it hang in the space between them as his lone eye stared at her unblinkingly. She pursed her lips at his stubbornness. “We can share, does that sound good? That way we’ll both get to eat.”

The swordsman regarded for a moment in silence, then nodded curtly. “Fair enough.” He reached for his swords then and unsheathed one of them, measuring the sandwich to cut it in the middle. As unhygienic as it sounded to use the blades he used to slice their enemies to cut their food, it was probably the best option; their hands were too dirty for that, and she did not think he would enjoy it if she were to eat half of it before passing the rest to him – she was not sure she would like it if it were the other way around either, she had no idea where that mouth of his wandered.

Nami guessed she had a weird look on her face by the time he glanced up to pass her half of the sandwich, for he lifted an eyebrow questioningly, and she brushed it off with a forced smile as she took it from his hands. The things she was thinking about... It was better not to know where he put his lips, anyway, lest she get nauseous or even jealous. Like hell she would let a nobody take her best friend away from her; like hell she would let him look at another woman differently. She felt his heavy gaze on her, still questioning why she wore a frown and why the food was untouched; she shrugged to herself, but made no move to eat or even acknowledge him. She was just incredibly jealous of her friends and afraid of losing them, that was all.

Eventually, he gave up in trying to catch her attention and sat up, unwrapping the tinfoil from around the bread and tossing it into her mailbag as to not let it lie about in the forest. Zoro ate in silence, ears concentrated around him and eye boring into the flames that licked at the twigs. He could hear the cracking of the fire, the gentle rustle of the canopy above, the insects that lingered nearby and her breathing, which had quickened all of sudden. He risked a glance in her direction, only to find his companion deep in thought, sandwich forgotten in her hands. Her chocolate eyes were wide, yet somehow seemed unfocused and distant, and her rosy lips were parted as she let out an occasional breath past them. He finished his meal and she had yet to move any part of her body, so he reached over to her and touched his fingertips to her shoulders, which made her jerk away from his touch, eyes wider than before if possible. Thankfully, she did not drop her half of the bread. “Are you feeling well?”

She took some time to recompose herself, staring at him as though he had simply materialized by her side out of nowhere. Finally, she nodded her head numbly. “I’m fine. Just spaced out for a bit.”

He snorted lightly, “I’ve noticed.” She refused to meet his eye, he only stared at her harder. “Go sleep. I’ll stand watch.”

“No, you can sleep. I’ll do it.” Nami replied whilst brushing her fringe away from her eyes. “You carried me all afternoon and will have to carry me tomorrow. You need rest.”

Zoro scowled at her. “Don’t underestimate me.”

“I’m not underestimating you.” She countered, finally meeting his gaze. “I’m being nice for once. Appreciate it, you asshole.”

Though that was somewhat the answer he was expecting from her, he had not pictured it being pronounced that way. He had expected more vigor, more fire in her voice and that glint in her eyes that said she could take him headfirst, that annoying cocky smile that pretty much rivaled and mirrored his own at times when they were bickering. But instead he was met with a firm tone and cool gaze, and thin eyebrows drawn together as if she was truly annoyed. She seemed to realize all of that, too, for she mumbled and apology as her head turned to the other side. He decided to let it pass – it was the least he could do to make up for not getting to the ship earlier, and also he figured things could not remain the same for too long. Changes were bound to happen and they were already happening.

“Wake me up if you need anything,” the swordsman said, his back slowly lowering to the grass covered ground, and he received a silent nod as answer.

* * *

Light filtered through the leaves of the trees, and the smell of smoke was heavy in the air as it wafted up in spirals from the logs not too far from his lying form. It was the longest he had slept in a while without interruptions, and if he were to guess, he would say it lasted for about ten hours of blissful, restful sleep. Stretching his limbs with a yawn, he opened his eye and slowly sat up, taking in his surroundings. The twigs and branches were nothing more but ashes now, Nami and one of his swords were not by his side anymore, but instead stood across from him at the edge of the clearing. “I hope you’re not using it to support yourself, woman.” He said gruffly as he pushed himself to his feet, and she snapped her gaze up from the map to look at him.

“Good morning to you, too.” She said with a slight crease forming on her forehead, then glanced at the sword leaning against the tree like herself. “I used it to get more wood for the fire, as well as to get some fruits from a tree nearby.”

He narrowed his eyes, reaching for his sword and holding it in a secure and firm grip. “Did you limp your way around or what?”

She gave a slight shrug of her shoulders, “Still can’t put my right foot down.”

“Why didn’t you wake me up then?”

Another shrug, “Like I said, you needed rest more than me.” He openly scowled at her, already noticing the barely visible light shadows under her eyes. “But whatever, let’s get out of here.” With a curt nod, Zoro started bending his knees until she lifted a hand and placed it over his chest. “Woah, calm down. You’re not carrying me like I’m some sort of pig or anything like that again.”

“What do you suggest, then?”

“Carry me on your back,” her hand was lifted off his body and her index finger twirled around in a circle. “That way I can see where we’re going.”

With a sigh, the swordsman approached and turned his back to her, crouching down low so she could climb onto him. With her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms around his neck, he stood straight and walked back to retrieve his other two swords, slipping all three of them into his sash by his right hip and going the direction she pointed at. Right after that, the navigator reached inside her mailbag and presented him with an apple, claiming she had saved some for him from the ones she picked earlier in the morning. They were sweet and dark red, so juicy it tricked down his chin and fell onto the back of her hands resting by his exposed collarbones, slipping through her fingers and landing gently on his skin. Nami inhaled sharply, mouth and nose close to his left ear so he heard the sound perfectly, sending a shiver rolling down his spine, which thankfully went unnoticed by her, but he saw the goose bumps rising on the bare skin of her arms.

Quickly, she unfolded the map and held it before their faces to check the direction, doing anything in her power to pretend none of that happened, and just to her luck, they needed to go another way. Silently, she waved the paper in the direction they were to take and did not stop until he was following her orders. He got another apple from her and this time her hands curled around the fabric of his coat by his shoulders instead of letting them rest at the base of his neck; he in return wrapped an arm around one of her legs, and went the way they were supposed to go, keeping his mind focused on the simple act of biting and chewing the fruit.

Before long, he ran out of apples, and his mind was free to wander. Though Zoro tried hard not to, he thought of what had just transpired, and the way she seemed so absentminded the previous night. It was unusual to see her like that; normally she would conceal her thoughts very well, but judging by her expression it seemed like they were things that caught even her out of guard, barging into her head unexpected and uninvited. He could only wonder what they were, for she would not willingly say it and he was not going to ask her about it either, but he could not deny it that she looked quite scared at whatever was bothering her. Then just now, she gasped at the drop of juice that fell on her hands, and he could picture perfectly the way her knuckles were almost white as she fisted the rough material of the coat in her slender fingers. She was edgy, too; he did not miss the way the muscles of her arms tensed when her palm came in contact with his chest, nor the way she hesitated only for a second before climbing onto his back. Whatever it was that bothered her had to do with him.

Nami held the map up again and pointed in another direction, and there he went, down the trail on a hill. From there they could see the shores and the Thousand Sunny; she sighed in relief, her breath caressing the nape of his neck and sending a jolt of electricity through his form.

These were bad, these were all bad. The shiver, the sigh, the goose bumps, the sudden distance that was between them, the way his skin tingled when her palm rested upon it. It all felt like she was pushing him away, but why, though? Had he screwed up so badly in not managing to take them back to the ship that she decided to cut all ties with him so abruptly? He could not have that. He knew her for as long as he knew Luffy and, truthfully, if he were to pick one as his favorite he could not do that; it was a draw, it was impossible to choose only one. She constantly got on his nerves, sure, but it felt different from when that damned cook was the one arguing with him. It felt rather nice, he admitted, most of the time it was playful, somewhat lighthearted, even if she punched him in the arm or the head. Zoro guessed that was their way of saying they were friends, and what a unique way that was, to call each other names and stop one step away from playful wrestling.

What would he do if she stopped talking to him, he wondered. The way they picked on each other on a daily basis made life aboard the Thousand Sunny so less boring; she always had something to say, and he always found something to point out, it was a nice break from numerous rounds of training and napping, even if it did annoy him at times. Perhaps that was the last straw for her and she decided that finally it was time to stop with the nonsense. He did not understand why his stomach knotted when he thought of that – he blamed it on the apples he ate.

Zoro only had to follow the well-defined path by the cliff and soon they would hit the beach. The navigator advised him to not stray from it before lowering her head to the crook of his neck and letting it rest there until he could feel her slow breathing fanning his skin. She fell asleep in a matter of minutes, arms over his shoulders again and hands loosely clasped together, body completely slumped against his as he carried her down the gentle slope. He did as told and remained within the trail of battered dry grass, walking under the rising sun at was nearing its peak in the sky. With her guiding the way, they made it back much faster than he had expected, returning to the shore faster than they made it all the way up the hills. The swordsman jumped down the rocks and went on to the decks, smirking slightly when their captain’s loud and excited voice rang in the air as he caught sight of his approaching form.

Up the inclined ramp he went, and he was almost greeted by a kick from the bond cook had the same not noticed that his precious Nami was enjoying herself in a piggyback ride. Sanji shot curses at him blended with sentences concerning the woman’s wellbeing, and it was only when Chopper made himself present that the swordsman explained what happened while they were away, and the doctor asked him to accompany him to the sick bay to get her ankle treated, which only made the cook shout with more fervor. Zoro managed to get her lying on the bed and waited until Choper gave him her predicament to leave for a bath. “I’m gonna put some ice on it. It’s the best remedy.” The older man nodded in understanding. “Also she won’t be able to move it until it’s mostly healed.” The reindeer gave him a meaningful look, which he understood quickly; he would have to carry her about the ship too.

Though it was not the day he usually bathed, Zoro felt he needed one. The warm water worked its way down his muscular body as he stood unmoving under the stream, just staring at the wall and thinking. He could still feel her chest pressed against his back, her trademark scent of mikans that flooded his senses these past hours, the way his blood rushed through his arteries and veins when she gasped and sighed against his skin, how her lips were parted as she sat by the firelight and mused to herself. It was bad, he thought again, things were definitely changing, though he could not exactly pinpoint the way the wind was taking them. Their boats were sailing freely, seemingly closing the gap between them. Was he scared of changes? Not in the least. Was he scared of the outcome? Most definitely, though his mind did not realize it yet. He would have to face it, though, beating around the bush would lead him to nothing; it was best to take it on without a second thought.

Nami was awake by the time he returned to the sick bay, sitting up on the bed and swallowing a painkiller Chopper had given her, a towel wrapped around an ice pack and place over her swollen ankle; the little doctor was nowhere in sight. “Are you fine?” The swordsman approached the bed quietly, hair still damp from his shower.

“It’s healing.”

“Are you fine?” He repeated, and she knew him for long enough to understand what he meant.

Zoro was perceptive, she knew that very well, but a part of her wished he would not notice some of the things she did while they were still out in the woods. Her nose wrinkled ever so slightly as she tried to put her feelings into words. “The air is changing,” Nami said simply whilst avoiding his eyes.

He nodded once, “I feel it too.”

That caught her attention, her face tilting up to look at his. “Do you?” A hum was the answer he gave her. “What do we do?”

The swordsman shrugged; if she did not know, he certainly did not. He hoped she would have a solution to all of this. “We leave it be. If it’s a force of nature, there is nothing we can do to stop it.”

She pondered over his words, heart hammering in her ribcage. Nami had yet to acknowledge these feelings as what she suspected them to be, but she did not know how to approach them, and now that he said he felt it too she could not help but feel hopeful. Still it did not mean he felt it the same way she did; maybe Zoro had only realized these things because she acted oddly all of sudden on the past night, and his words only confused her. Leave it? Was he implying that they should forget whatever this was? Her chest constricted painfully, just confirming her suspicions, and it must have showed on her face, too, for the next thing she knew his hand were dangerously close to hers.

Chocolate brown eyes darted down to their hands, and his voice reached her ears. “Do you think this wind is blowing us closer to each other?” He mused aloud, using the same comparison he thought of during his shower.

Her fingers twitched and moved closer to his. “Maybe it is.”

His own twitched, but did not move from that spot. “Do you think we should leave the sails out?”

Nami placed her fingertips over his. “What do you think?”

Inhaling sharply, she locked her eyes with his and held his gaze steadily, leaving it in his hands to decide their fate. As much as her throat itched to say an affirmative answer, she could not decide it alone; after all, if they were to go with this it would not affect her desire to draw a complete world map, but it could get in the way of his dream of becoming the greatest swordsman. Nami would let him go, though, if that was his wish. She would not pressure him to do anything that he did not want to, at least not in this case.

Silently, Zoro spread his fingers and laced them with hers. He talked through his actions and this was enough to let her know that he was willing to try. A grin graced her lips and he gave her a slight smile in return, his open eye creasing when his cheek lifted with the motion of the corner of his lips, and Nami slowly brought her other hand up to his face, cradling his jaw gently as she leaned his head down and reached up to kiss the scar on his left eye. His fingers loosely enclosed around her wrist, his thumb pressed against her pulse, and when she pulled away, he dipped his face towards her palm, brushing his lips on the shallow gash marring her skin.

The exchange of affection ended when the swordsman straightened his back and smirked slightly. “Seems like the winds are not on that shitty cook’s favor.” The navigator touched her fingers to her mouth to hide her smile, but ended up laughing openly at that, and he gave a chuckle of his own. “You should rest. I’ll wake you up for dinner, okay?”

She nodded her head with a smile, “Okay.” Zoro let go of her hand to help her lie down on the bed before taking it on his again, and Nami tightened her hold around him, eyes slipping closed when he brushed her hair away from her face to place his lips tenderly on her forehead.


End file.
